December 27, 2012

I'm reading about and experimenting with different techniques in PSE 11. I'm afraid of getting in a rut - you know - just adding a texture, changing the blend mode and calling it done. Not today though. Today I played with text; added gradients and skewed the text too. I'm exhausted!

Original photo taken in the Smallwood Store, Everglades City, FL. This is the closest I've come to baking for the holidays!

(I realized after capturing the layers panel, that most of what I had done was lost since I merged so many layers together. I had hoped to show you the numerous steps taken to achieve the skewed text and shadow.)

December 24, 2012

Here it is Christmas once again. The time has flown by. It seems like I just took last year's tree down!

My sister-in-law, Carol, is a talented paper crafter and stamper. She makes wonderful holiday cards - not only for Christmas, but all year round. I always look forward to receiving mail from Carol. Her sweet little snowman card sits on top of a pile of Christmas cards we received this year. Isn't he the cutest?!

My wish for you, my friends, is that the Peace, Hope and Love you have in your hearts today stays with you all through the year.

December 17, 2012

I don't know if it has ever snowed in the everglades - that is until today. My husband and I took a Sunday drive to Everglades City. I stopped here and there to take photos. (I wanted to experiment with my new DSLR camera.)

An overlay of snowflakes added to original photo to create this "winter" scene.

Using the original photo, I created a painting using Photoshop Elements and made a card to be left where a stranger may find it, pick it up and hopefully know it was made with love and kindness.

We need to spread more kindness in our world especially now after all the pain and suffering caused by the horrific shootings in Sandy Hook CT. My heart goes out to those families.

One card hidden behind a tissue box on a shelf in my local Publix grocery store. I had a mammogram yesterday - I hid the second card under a stack of gowns in the dressing room at the lab. I wrote a personal message on the back of the cards as well as my email address. I wonder if I will ever know who found the cards.

December 14, 2012

Firstly, my dress form - let's call her Christmas Carol - dons her Christmas bustier. The bustier is made of grocery shopping bags, painted, cut and stitched. Handmade ribbon rosettes and beaded trim added for fun. She has many outfits which change seasonally.

Our tradition is to put the Christmas tree up the day after Thanksgiving and take it down on New Years Day. This sweet little tree sits on an end table and looks so romantic when lit up. Many of the ornaments are handmade by moi.

My children are all grown up with families of their own. Celebrating the holidays without them is hard. We live in Florida and they are in Illinois. Luckily, I still have one kid at home. Not really, but my husband does love Christmas and he still acts like a kid when he sees Frosty ;-)

December 7, 2012

One never knows when a creative opportunity will arise. I was asked by a woman (Marilyn) who came to my garage sale if I knew anyone who sews (seriously!). "I sew" I replied. "What do you need?" She had a Christmas stocking that had been stitched by an unknown person and finished by an acquaintance. She was in desperate need of getting the piece of needlework turned into a Christmas stocking - pronto! How could I possibly say "no"?

Here is the needlework (which needed blocking). Pinned to foam core, spritzed with water and left to dry. The stitches now pop and piece lies flat. We're good to go.

On the reverse side of stitchwork, a seam allowance was drawn with pencil. Rights side together with supplied faux red velvet for back of stocking - but wait - she provided no fabric for a lining (lining, huh?) Yes, of course, this puppy must be lined or all those yarns will show - no way, Jose! Luckily, I have tons of fabric suitable for a lining. Stitch the two stockings (original and lining) right sides at the top seam. Looks weird - don't worry magic is about to happen. Turn right sides out and blind stitch the "turning" seam on lining - voila!

Hunt's Christmas stocking looks vintage and is so precious. I know Marilyn will be as happy with it as I am.

November 9, 2012

I heard from Cheryl at Dockside Thoughts about a photo challenge - Friday My Town Shoot Out. I thought I'd give it a try. This week's theme is GRAVITY AT PLAY. The easiest example (for me) is running water.

October 29, 2012

If you ever have the opportunity to travel to Cinque Terre in Italy, do it! Five villages located on the rugged Ligurian Sea coastline. (Monterosso al Mare, Vernaazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore.) Hiking paths, trains and boats connect the villages. Cars cannot reach them from the outside. Starting at Monterosso al Mare, we hiked through the five villages to Riomaggiore. The hike took us about 4-1/2 hours. We decided to take the train back to Monterosso al Mare. It was a great experience.

October 22, 2012

Sometimes making art is hard - especially when my muse has left the building. Fear can keep me from making a decision - what if it's wrong?! Then again it may be the perfect choice. Taking the time to make samples helps. Letting whimsy take over is not a bad thing either. Note to self: am I'm over-thinking, over-reacting, or...?

Time for me to stop riding on NEUTRAL. Make a decision - right or wrong - and get off the fence!

October 20, 2012

Among other things, I am a doll maker. I like to use what's on hand, things I find, the odd bits and pieces. The hair for this doll is made from concrete NAILS. The body is made up of dryer lint mixed with glue to form a clay-like substance; apron made up from discarded denim pants. (Waste not - want not - that's my motto!)

October 17, 2012

I had 4 quarters burning a hole in my pocket. What can I do with these COINS? I hunted around town for a pay phone, without much luck. Found a gas station with an air machine - $1 to pump air into your tires and you would need to do it in 4 minutes! - that seemed high to me - and my tires looked okay.

I turned around and espied a laundromat. It has been years since I have set foot in such a place. It was an eye opener. It cost 3 quarters for one pouch of laundry detergent! Lesson here - bring your own detergent.

The ladies on the right were showing the young girls on the left how to sort laundry. There was a lot of laughing going on. As you can see from the sign, it costs many more quarters than I had to wash and dry one load!

They made sure to pack in as many articles of clothing into the washer as possible. (I wonder if any of it really gets clean jammed in this way.)

I decided not to do laundry, make a phone call or fill the tires with air. I still have my 4 quarters. Since I cannot do much with them anyway, I'm going to put them in the bank and save them for a rainy day.

October 15, 2012

My husband does not cook much, but when he does, it's good. My FAVORITE FOOD is the salmon he grills - our Friday night dinner most weeks. I could eat it every day. He won't tell me his grilling secret, which is fine with me. I'd much rather he be the one slaving over the hot coals!